Charity boss ‘blown away’ by generosity of Irish people despite pandemic

Charity boss ‘blown away’ by generosity of Irish people despite pandemic

A charity boss has said he is “blown away” by the generosity of Irish peopleafter fundraising targets were exceeded in 2020, despite the economic impactof the pandemic.

Feargal O’Connell is the chief executive of SightsaversIreland, which works to eliminate avoidable blindness in the developing worldand promotes the rights of people with disabilities.

Appointed earlier thisyear, he feared the economic crunch of the pandemic would force him into jobcuts at the charity but was bowled over as donations kept flowing in.